The Scottish Government-funded firm released figures today that support the findings that older workers could make a significant impact on the talent shortage. 

The report shows that nearly one in five older workers want to work flexibly, the main reason being able to wind down to retirement without stopping work altogether. Flexible work could look like a reduction in hours overall, flexible start and finish times, or a compressed work week, where they work the same amount of hours in less days. 

This comes on the backdrop of approximately 20% of the UK workforce expected to be underskilled for their jobs by 2030, amounting to 6.5 million people, according to Oxford College. The same report cites two thirds of businesses in the UK struggling to recruit workers with the skills they need. 

In response to this, Flexibility Works points out there are already tens of thousands of capable workers available, if only businesses would give them more flexible options. 

“Our advice for employers, many of whom are facing skills shortages and are struggling to attract and retain highly skilled and experienced older workers, is to talk to your staff and listen to what would make a difference for them in terms of ways of working,” said Flexibility Works co-founder and director Lisa Gallagher.

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Mike Douglas, director of social enterprises at Age Scotland, said: “Older workers contribute a huge amount to the economy and to employers in terms of experience, life skills and knowledge that can be shared with younger colleagues.

“But many older workers would prefer to work flexibly, perhaps because they have competing demands on their time, and if employers don’t offer flexible working, they risk losing some of their most valuable and irreplaceable staff.”

In response to the push to employ more older workers, the government has also launched a STEM ReCharge initiative which aims to give older workers the necessary skills to return to work in the under-served STEM field.

Lorien a global tech recruitment specialist says the soft interpersonal skills and life experience possessed by older workers could breathe life into the sectors experiencing some of the worst talent shortages.